Mums and Vanilla Beans

A picture hangs in the hall.
People stroll the McNeely Conservatory,
frozen in time, absorbing the lush of the green,
the calm water that centers the room and each being.

When we were brand new, we walked those paths,
palmed the heads of hydrangeas and mums,
smelled vanilla bean for the first time.
A second kiss, as sweet as the first,
and the whole room bloomed for us.

The monitor beeps and reality jumps
inside my skin, my thoughts.
I slip back inside the curtain,
knowing the red is not of mums.

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Published by kerrianna

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7 comments

When you write, I experience it.
You always awe me more than just a bit with the depth
of your poetry. From the standpoint of poetry, I celebrate
the experience of your poem. From the medical standpoint,
it hurts the heart. I feel the pain of the speaker and the pain
of the patient, and keep both in my prayers.

I agree with Sarah, this poem is so finely written and you allow the reader to be right in the scene, feeling its beauty, pathos and intensity. The details in this are so expertly drawn and these lines simply haunt with their
sense of reflection and poignancy —

A picture hangs in the hall.
People stroll the McNeely Conservatory,
frozen in time, absorbing the lush of the green,
the calm water that centers the room and each being.

When we were brand new, we walked those paths,
palmed the heads of hydrangeas and mums,
smelled vanilla bean for the first time.
A second kiss, as sweet as the first,
and the whole room bloomed for us.

I pray you and your husband are doing better and either way, I send my love and prayers. I am always so deeply moved by your poems. You have a true gift for writing.

Your writing in this special poem is beautiful. You bring your reader in right where you are. The descriptions are precise pulling us closer to details. Then we’re with you in the room & in spirit—filled with emotion as the mood, tone, and feeling in this is set–as we’re unsettled. I am praying for you and for your husband. Prayers have been lifted throughout the day in my viewings of passing clouds and brushing of soft winds. I am thinking of you. May well-wishes & the ease of peace surround you.